Tough Customers
A golden opportunity
By: Breandan Filbert

Have you ever dreaded the sound of the ringing phone for fear of who it is on the other end of the line? It just may be that customer who is your biggest pain in the neck to deal with. You know the one; they were very difficult to land in the first place, they expect great things - more perhaps than you feel they are paying for - and never seem to be satisfied.

Think back on the easiest sale you have made in your career. It seemed as if all you had to do was show up and take the order and not mess something up. Was that sale memorable to you? How about to your customer? Do you still have them? Or did they move on as soon as they found someone who was able to do the same thing for them you did: take their order? How many people did they send your way?

Now think about your best customer. Were they a larger, more complex sale? Did you actually have to work to get the account? Did you have to prove yourself over the competition? Do you find yourself paying attention to them to make sure they stay with you? How about referrals? How many people have they told about you?

Success involves great customers; I bet your best customers were not easy to win. Chances are you had to work hard to get them and to keep them. I remember one of my best customers actually lodged a complaint against my company because of a mistake made by bookkeeping. This is also the customer who would spend hours on the Internet searching out every last bit of information he could find and prepare spreadsheets prior to coming in for the demo. No one else wanted anything to do with him. But where others saw a “tire kicker,” I saw a buyer who had taken a lot of valuable time to research his options. He was an attorney, and his billable rate was $250 per hour (he was well aware of that) and was not just a “shopper.” In one year alone, my commission off of his account and his referrals earned me over $12,000 as he felt good service should be rewarded. During my last year with the company, he referred five customers to me who were just like him. He also introduced me to my next career opportunity É the one I am in now - all of this from a difficult customer.

Is your prospective client difficult, or are they merely discerning? When you have a prospect who takes time to research and understand your solution, this is a serious customer and deserves your best effort and your commitment to their success as well as your own. Find out what they are truly looking to accomplish and how you can fix their problem, whether that solution is yours or someone else’s. I remember one client for which I did not have the best solution for her particular issue. I was demonstrating a “Lexus” solution and she needed the “BMW.” After looking extensively at her issues and choices, I recommended the product that competed with mine. She was quite astonished at my candor but admitted she had already determined that. Lost a sale? Not quite - the next week she referred a great client to me who the solution I offered was the perfect fit. She also became a client within a matter of months as her needs expanded and my solution fit.

I love difficult customers. Lazy salespeople like easy customers. Unfortunately, easy customers are not typically loyal customers. You may occasionally stumble onto someone who has just been beaten up by the market so badly that anyone looks good, and, as one of my old bosses said, “I would rather be lucky than good.” But Lady Luck can be fickle, as many individuals in Gambler’s Anonymous will attest. Create your own luck by seeking out the opportunities other non-committed salespeople avoid.

High expectations create great service. When we stretch, we grow and we excel. Seek the opportunities to stretch. Look for discerning customers. Find your best customers - the loyal ones you have taken great care of, and harvest the referral opportunities that are there. When you plant the seeds, you reap the harvest. Your customers know others who are just like them - their needs, issues and demands. This will create great opportunities for prospecting. How many more discerning clients can you handle? Hopefully you are always looking for the next one. I hope you will take the opportunity to look at adversity and see the opportunity presented. I love the saying, “When God closes a door, He opens a window.” Enjoy the view!

Breandan Filbert is a professional sales consultant. You can contact her at 816.522.8178.